We’ve had mixed success against Swansea, in the FA Cup we’ve never lost against them but then in the League Cup we’ve never won. Over all competitions though we do have a winning record, we’ve won thirteen, drawn eleven and lost ten.
SUNDERLAND 3-0 SWANSEA - FA CUP 5TH ROUND - 20.02.1937
This was our first ever match against Swansea in our history and it was in the FA Cup. With a capacity of 48 thousand at a packed Roker Park we beat the Welsh club three goals to nil. It took us 51 minutes to break the deadlock thanks to Bobby Gurney. Then half an hour later, with ten minutes to go, we netted the second through Len Duns, and to make things even better we had our third minutes before the final whistle as Swansea’s Tommy Caldwell scored an own goal. Our first three games ever played against Swansea were all in the FA Cup, and they were all also in the 5th Round.
SWANSEA 5-0 SUNDERLAND - LEAGUE DIVISION TWO - 13.09.1958
Our first ever league match against the Swans and we got absolutely battered. The long trip down to Wales wasn’t worth it for the Mackems as future Mag Ivor Allchurch smashed four past us after Des Palmer got the opener after 21 minutes had been played. Very poor from the Lads and you can bet we had a newfound hunger for the next time we faced Swansea.
SUNDERLAND 4-0 SWANSEA - LEAGUE DIVISION TWO - 16.01.1960
Since that 5-0 drumming at the hands of Swansea we had won the previous two meetings before this match, so we were claiming dominance in this tie and with this win we cemented our place in the fixture. When they hammered us they had a hattrick hero and this time it was our turn. Ian Lawther was the one who ended the game with the match ball thanks to his three goal contributions which was supplemented by Stan Anderson who also got his name on the score sheet.
SUNDERLAND 7-2 SWANSEA - LEAGUE DIVISION TWO - 09.12.1961
We had started to look forward to our annual meeting with Swansea, and this was the reason why, despite the one anomaly we had pretty much won every game. This was the cherry on the top. In a game that saw nine goals they scored the first - Brayley Reynolds with the opener 21 minutes into the game. We responded immediately after kick-off and levelled the game with the first of Ambrose Fogarty’s three on the day. Before half time we were up 2-1 as Fogarty got his second. Their second and last goal of the day came via a Graham Williams penalty but it only made the score 3-1, Cloughie got his first of three goals shortly beforehand, yes that’s right, two hat tricks in the one game. Cloughie ended up with a 13 minute hat trick in the second half and the game was put to bed but we showed that ruthlessness that we had back then and kept pelting the Swansea goal. Harry Hooper also got on the scoresheet and Fogarty wrapped up his hat trick in the dying minutes. An emphatic win from the Lads.
SWANSEA 4-0 SUNDERLAND - PREMIER LEAGUE - 19.10.2012
Our first ever loss in the Premier League against Swansea came in the form of a four goal defeat, similar to the first time we lost to them in the league all those years ago. It was also Gus Poyet’s first match in charge of the Lads and it’s fair to say we didn’t get off to the best start. In the last match we spoke about how we had two players who earned hat tricks and in this game we had two players who scored own goals; quite the contrast... It was an own goal to open the game and an own goal to finish the game. Phil Bardsley had a really good chance to break the deadlock but he ended up skying his shot, later in the game he actually scored the first, just in the wrong net. That opening own goal ignited a three goal spree in seven minutes with goals coming from Jonathan De Guzman and Wilfred Bony from the penalty spot. It was evident why we were rock bottom and had just brought in a new manager. Steven Fletcher ended the match with the fourth goal of the day for Swansea, as he followed in Bardsley’s footsteps by putting it in the wrong net. The game left us bottom of the league with a shocking defensive record having conceded 20 goals in the opening eight games. Just one point from those eight games made it our worst ever start to a Premier League season. A big improvement was required from the Lads for Poyet’s next game which was against the Mags, and that’s exactly what he got.
SWANSEA 2-4 SUNDERLAND - PREMIER LEAGUE - 13.01.2016
This time it was our turn to put four past the opposition. We started the game by taking the attack right towards the home side, Jermain Defoe ended up grabbing his first within three minutes of kick-off. Gylfi Sigurdsson equalised with a penalty shortly before Kyle Naughton was sent off despite getting the ball as his studs were showing. Even with ten men Swansea took the lead into the break as Andre Ayew got on the scoresheet. In Big Sam’s 450th Premier League half-time team talk he got his point across which sparked the Lads to take control of the game. Four minutes into the second half we were level through a Federico Fernandez own goal. Defoe then scored the other two to win the game and get himself the match ball, more importantly it took us to one point away from getting out of the drop zone. Swansea were actually the team one point ahead of us at the time.
As for this game, we’re heading into having spent the last two games on top for the most part but failing to score due to the absence of a striker up top. Swansea host whilst they are in a rich vein of form, winning three on the bounce, including a 98th minute winner last time out. Our away record against Swansea is a bit sketchy, winning four, drawing six and losing seven. With that in mind I do think it will be a close game, but I think Tony Mowbray will find a way to stop us heading into a goal drought and we’ll come out on top with a tight 1-0 win.
